


In the End

by thatwriterlady



Series: 30 Day Writing Challenge 2016 [29]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: 30 Day Writing Challenge 2016, And that Dean Was Never a Demon, Canon Divergent, Castiel Loves Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, F/M, Fallen Angel, Feelings, Human Castiel, Long Hidden Feelings, Love Confessions, M/M, We're Going to Pretend Leviathan Never Existed, happy ever after
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-11 20:37:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9018622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: After Cas leaves heaven for good, his grace fades away, leaving him human.  He has a permanent home at the bunker with Sam and Dean, and as the 3 grow older, their lives take paths they hadn't anticipated.  Sam returns to school and finds love while Dean and Cas remain at the bunker.  It's even more domestic and comfortable than what Dean had with Lisa, but does he dare to want more?  He decides Cas deserves better than him, so he doesn't pursue more.  Too bad no one consulted Cas on what he wanted.





	

**Author's Note:**

> We're almost done. Day 30 is done and will be up shortly as well. I do hope you like this one. Enjoy!

**_Day 29: Doing Chores Around the House_ **

 

Dean was a clean freak.  There was no easier way to put it.  With all of the chaos in his life, and all of the things that were completely out of control, the one thing he could keep in order was his home.  It was why there wasn’t so much as a stray sock or a ball of lint to be found anywhere in the bunker.  He kept the place spotless.  If Sam hadn’t known better he’d have thought it was Dean, not their dad that had been in the Marines.  Still, having a clean place to return to after the messes they had to deal with out in the real world was nice.  Even Cas seemed to appreciate the cleanliness and order. 

 

Dean had a routine, and he didn’t like having it interrupted.  Most mornings he was up before the sun.  His work would start in the kitchen where counters were wiped down, the floor was swept and mopped if it was dirty, and whatever needed to be refilled on the table was refilled.  Salt, pepper, powdered creamer, sugar, it was all kept neat and organized.  From there he would move on to the halls, sweeping and dusting while his brother slept and Cas, whose grace was fading with each passing day and leaving him more and more human would either be watching Netflix or catching a few hours of sleep himself.  Spiders didn’t have a chance to make the bunker their home, not with Dean Winchester around. 

 

Halls got mopped once a week, usually on Saturday mornings.  He picked a different day to mop in different rooms.  By the time he had moved on to the media room, Cas was usually up and in the kitchen, getting himself a cup of coffee.  By the time he was in the library dusting and putting back whatever books may have been left out, Cas was on his 2nd cup and ready to pitch in.  While Dean tackled the dusting and sweeping, Cas worked on sorting any laundry that needed to be washed and getting everything washed.  That was usually on Wednesdays.  On Mondays and Thursdays Cas cleaned the bathrooms.  It was usually a quick task since Dean and Sam were pretty neat people and he came to enjoy the chore.  Seeing the chrome shine and the porcelain glisten was rather satisfying, as was the clean smell of the Fabuloso that Dean had given him to use on the floors.  Lysol was used on the counters.

 

By the time Sam was awake and returned from his run, he was tasked with sweeping and dusting the War room and the stairs up to the balcony.  He was also charged with taking whatever list Dean put together and doing the grocery shopping.  Together the bunker stayed clean.  Mostly.

 

Hunts threw the cleaning schedule off but not by much.  It usually meant more laundry and often times some mending too, and a good wash and detail for Baby once they got back.  During the times when Cas stayed behind, he kept up on the cleaning.  Having Dean come home to a clean house became his mission.  He found himself wanting to see Dean relaxed and smiling more, and keeping the bunker up to Dean’s standards was such a simple thing that he could do. 

 

One of Cas’ new hobbies became baking.  He knew Dean’s deep love for pie so he researched hundreds of recipes online until he found ones he wanted to try, and then he started practicing.  Pie after pie was made until he managed to make one that reminded Dean of the ones his mother used to make.  It delighted Sam to try them as he felt like he was finally getting to experience something only Dean had been privilege to in their early childhood.  It brought Cas great pleasure to please the brothers, and Dean was always eager to help him clean up after he had slaved away baking.  They had teamwork out on hunts and at home in the bunker, and that made everyone happy.

 

It was a few years after the last of Cas’ grace was gone and he was human once again that Sam decided he was officially retiring from the hunting life.  It had never been his passion anyway and after nearly getting his knee torn off by a Wendigo 2 year prior, he had a hard time moving around let alone chasing monsters or running from them.  Dean settled into the task of running the phones for other hunters and it wasn’t until he was gently teased by Cas that he realized he had fallen into Bobby’s old role.  There was actually a sense of comfort in that.  When Sam met a woman named Valerie on one of his weekly trips to the library (he had gone back to school, taking some courses at the local community college and he liked studying at the library), he made the decision to move out and get a small apartment in the heart of Lawrence, rather than to drag her into the hunting life.  Dean was sad to see his brother go and he made a point of limiting his visits, so he didn’t interrupt whatever was blossoming between Sam and Valerie.  She was good for his brother, and Dean just wanted him to be happy. 

 

Back at the bunker Cas continued teaching himself how to cook and bake, and Dean continued to work the phones.  Occasionally they helped out other hunters but the older they got, the less they were inclined to do that.  They settled into a life of comfortable domesticity, something Dean had never considered for himself, not after it had been such a failure with Lisa.  He’d been afraid to settle into something so regular, but with Cas it was easy. 

 

On a cold winter night a few weeks after they had celebrated Dean’s 47th birthday with a homemade apple pie, Cas tracked him down in his room.  Dean had been relaxing, watching old episodes of Doctor Sexy on the television Sam and Valerie had bought him for his birthday.  The door stood open so he knocked on the frame to get Dean’s attention.

 

“Hey, what’s up?”  Dean asked as he muted the TV.

 

“I would like to talk to you about something.”  Cas stepped into the room but only a few feet.  Dean could tell that whatever was on his mind, it had him nervous. 

 

“Come here.”  Dean sat up and patted the spot on the bed next to him.  Cas slowly walked over to the bed and sat down.

 

“I’ve had something on my mind for some time, but I was unsure how to approach you about it.” 

 

“Just say it, man.  You know you can tell me anything.”  Dean smiled softly to encourage him, but Cas had known the man for the better part of 25 years by that point and that had had not always been true.

 

“Are you happy?”  He asked.  Dean was caught off guard by the question and his smile faltered on his lips before slipping away.

 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“Are you happy with our living arrangement?  The way we are now, sharing chores and responsibilities, and sharing a living space?  Are you _happy_?”  Cas was staring into his eyes and not for the first time Dean found himself in danger of getting lost in them, yet he was unable to look away.

 

“Cas, I-”  Dean took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “Are _you_ not happy?  Do you want to leave?”  His voice wavered, despite his attempt to keep it steady.  “Did I do something wrong?”

 

Cas quickly reached out, grasping his hand and holding it between both of his own.

 

“No, no, you misunderstand.  I have lived here with you since I fell, and there is nowhere else on earth that I would rather be.  I am happy, here, with you, Dean.  But I worry sometimes that you might not be.  And…there are…things I would like to experience openly, and I’ve never had cause to believe you would want those things too.  I did not push for them for fear of pushing you away, but sometimes, I am lonely.”

 

Dean stared at where his hand was currently clasped between Cas’.  They’d lived here for so long now, filling their days with a wide variety of hobbies and tasks, and time seemed to have gotten away from them both.  When he looked up he took the time to study every detail of his dearest friend.  There were lines etched across Cas’ forehead, and at the corners of his eyes were well worn crow’s feet.  There was gray hair at his temples and peppered throughout his perpetually messy, dark locks, but his lips were still plump and soft looking, and his eyes were sharp, despite the passage of time.  He was…beautiful.  Then again, he always had been.

 

“What are you saying, Cas?  Did-did you…meet someone?”  His heart ached more than he thought it could at the possibility.

 

“I met someone long ago, and I am still as much in love with them as I have always been, but saying as much…”  Cas sighed and turned away.  It hurt Dean when he did that.  He wanted those blue eyes on him.

 

Dean understood what Cas was saying though.  They had danced around one another since the moment they first met, even if Cas had been unaware of it.  But soon enough the angel couldn’t take his eyes off Dean, or bear to be away from him.  When they were in the same room he would stand so close, sometimes close enough to kiss, and God, he had wanted to kiss Cas so bad that sometimes he had ached with the need.  Despite everything they had gone through, and despite more than 2 decades of frequent internal debates over his own sexuality, he loved Cas, very deeply.  It was something he was no longer able to deny, so why keep trying?  He couldn’t imagine Cas not being in his life every day.  Sam and Valerie always referred to them as a couple and he had long ago stopped denying it.  Cas had never denied it.  He would simply look at Dean for his reaction, and then smile politely once it was denied, even though there was sadness in his eyes.  The first time Dean had decided it wasn’t worth denying it anymore, Cas had stared at him for a long time.  Later, when they were alone, he’d tried to talk to Dean about it but the old hunter had skirted the subject.  He was an expert at deflection but it seemed that tactic would no longer work.  Cas was human.  Cas had been human for years now.  He wanted the things other humans sometimes spent their lifetime looking for, and he’d had it all along, though it had time and again been denied to him.  He deserved better than that.  It was Dean that had been the idiot, pushing him away time and again.  He was just…scared.  Really though, was it so big of a jump?  They already lived together and loved one another.  The only thing really missing was intimacy.  It was only a tiny little leap…

 

“Cas, I-I don’t want to lose you.”  He covered Cas’ hands with his free one and squeezed gently.  “I know what you want.  What you need.  I should have given it to you years ago.  I’m sorry, I’ve been a stubborn idiot.”

 

Those blue eyes widened, as though the sheer surprise of his words were exactly the opposite of what he expected to hear.  Before he could talk himself out of the one thing he’d wanted for years but had been too afraid to take for himself, Dean leaned in and kissed him.  It only took a moment for Cas’ brain to catch up and then he was kissing back.  Hard.  The sheer enthusiasm threw Dean for a bit but he met Cas inch for inch, kissing back with just as much fervor.  It had been ages since he had kissed another person like this.  He’d stopped dating some 10 years earlier, after he’d realized there was no woman in the world that made him as happy as Cas made him, and no one he got along with better. 

 

Cas pulled back after several glorious minutes of them exploring one another’s mouths and rested his forehead against Dean’s.

 

“What…”  He took a breath.  “What…are we?”

 

Dean smiled and kissed the man’s cheek as he pulled him into his arms.

 

“Well, everyone already thinks we’re a couple.  I’ve kind of let myself think it for a while too.  I was just too stupid to make it really happen.  I…love you, Cas.  I always have.”

 

“Oh, Dean!”

 

Cas threw his arms around Dean’s neck and hugged him tight.  “I love you too!”  Dean felt the man’s body shudder and he knew Cas was crying.

 

“Hey, sweetheart, don’t cry, shhh.”  He pulled Cas closer.

 

“I was sure you’d say you weren’t interested in actually being _with_ me.  I suspected that you felt the same way about me as I felt about you, but y0u kept pushing me away…”  Cas lifted his head and wiped furiously at his eyes.  “Stupid human emotions.  I loathe crying like this.”

 

“I feel selfish, Cas.  I do love you, but I still think you deserve better than me, and I’m not exactly sure how the sex would work, but I’m willing to do my best to make you happy.  I don’t ever want to make you cry like this again.”  Dean wiped a stray tear off Cas’ cheek before placing his hand gently against it.  “We’ll take it one day at a time, ok?”

 

Cas nodded eagerly before leaning in and kissing him tenderly again. 

 

“I’m so happy, Dean.  All I want is to openly love you.  I mean, we don’t have to hold hands or kiss in public, but at home-”

 

Dean cut him off by kissing him again.

 

“No, that’s not fair to you, and I want you, Cas.  The whole deal, holding hands in public, kissing…in front of my brother, all of it.  I’m not going to be a jerk.  I’m too old for sexist or homophobic assholes.  They would never understand, and we don’t owe anyone an explanation.”

 

“We have dinner tomorrow with Sam and Valerie.”  There was a hitch in Cas’ breath as he looked Dean in the eye.  Dean smiled.

 

“Yeah, but there’s something we need to take care of first.” 

 

Cas tilted his head in question.  “We do?”

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Sam and Valerie had a townhouse over in Kansas City and twice a month Dean and Cas drove to their house to have dinner.  Tonight they arrived on time, a bottle of wine in hand, and a freshly made strawberry rhubarb pie that Cas had made that afternoon.  Valerie met them at the door, hugging each man in turn before leading them to the kitchen where Sam was busy with the last of setting the table.  He smiled when they walked in.

 

“Hey, Sammy.  We come bearing pie and wine!”  Dean said happily as he set their dinner contribution down on one of the counters.

 

“Sweet, did you make the pie, Cas?”  Sam asked.

 

“Yes, it’s only my 3rd time doing strawberry rhubarb, but I know how much Valerie likes it, so that’s what I made.”  Cas explained as Dean held out his chair for him.  Valerie arched an eyebrow in question at Sam who was just as baffled.  He shrugged before handing her dishes to carry to the table.

 

“Val made pot roast.”  Sam said as he set it on the table.  Valerie came over with a basket of warm biscuits and mashed potatoes and they sat down together to eat.

 

“So, how have you guys been?  Anything new going on?”  Sam looked at his brother and Dean knew he was referring to cases.  After encountering a rather vicious ghost a few years back at her new job, Valerie had been baptized into the world of the supernatural when Sam swept in and quickly put the spirit to rest as she watched.  Still, he didn’t tell her everything that was out there.  She didn’t know Cas had been an angel, or that angels even existed. 

 

“Nothing out of the ordinary.  Haven’t been on the phone all week.”  Dean replied.

 

“That’s good.”  Sam ate a bite of his potatoes as he watched his brother and Cas.  Something about them both seemed different.

 

Dean launched into a conversation with Valerie about some car her coworker was selling while Cas jumped in now and then to contribute to the conversation.  Sam was content to sit back and watch.  He had learned long ago that if he wanted to know what was going on in his brother’s life all he had to do was observe him quietly.  Dean seemed much more relaxed, happier, and he was looking at Cas more often and touching him more.  As they moved from dinner over to dessert and Cas set the pie on the table, Dean’s attention turned from Valerie to Cas.  Sam noticed the casual, relaxed way Dean’s arm draped across the back of Cas’ chair as they are their pie and talked about holiday plans for the following month.

 

“Dean, Cas, what is going on between you two?”  Sam blurted as Valerie got up to clear away the dessert plates.  Dean looked up, blinking in surprise at his outburst.  Cas was watching Dean carefully.  Suddenly Dean smiled and squeezed Cas’ shoulder.  That was when Sam realized that his brother hadn’t moved the silver ring that had sat on his right ring finger for the last 30 plus years.  He had a brand new ring on his left hand. 

 

“I got my head out of my ass finally.  Told Cas I love him.  We’re getting married.  We want something simple and easy, so we’re going to Vegas at New Year’s.”  Dean looked so proud as he smiled at Cas.  Cas was practically beaming back.

 

“Wait, what?”  Valerie had wandered back and was standing beside Sam’s chair looking just as shocked as her boyfriend.

 

Dean kissed Cas’ cheek tenderly before meeting his brother’s stunned gaze.  “What do you mean what?”

 

“You proposed?”  Sam asked.

 

“It was a little more than just that.  You know all this time, we weren’t actually a couple.  I wanted us to be, and Cas wanted us to be, but we weren’t actually.  Now we are.”  Dean replied.  He pointed at Cas’ left hand where a matching silver band sat.  “We got matching bands.”

 

“And you right off the bat proposed?”  Sam tucked a lock of his still too long hair behind one ear.  Dean was pleased that his brother had more gray hair than he did. 

 

“Seriously, Sam?  We’ve essentially been together in every way except intimately since we first met all those years ago.  You act like we just met last week and are engaged.  I’ve known him for pretty much half my life at this point.  The way we see it, it’s long overdue.  I love him, Sammy.  He loves me.  I’m officially making him a Winchester.” 

 

Cas was so happy at his words he placed a hand gently against Dean’s cheek.

 

“I love you so much.”  He said softly.  Dean smiled and stole a quick kiss before looking at Sam again.

 

“We’d like you and Valerie there.  We’ll call Jody and Claire later.  We’re hoping they will come as well.  I want you as my best man.” 

 

Sam swallowed against the lump in his throat and nodded.

 

“Yeah, man, sure.”

 

“I wish to ask Claire to stand up for me.”  Cas said.

 

“I think…she’d be honored.”  Sam was glad Cas and Claire had worked through their issues all those years ago and had found peace.  Claire was now happily in a relationship with a great guy they had met a few times.

 

“I am calling her tomorrow.”  Cas got to his feet.  “I will help you with the dishes.  Dean, can you help Sam save the leftovers?” 

 

Dean nodded and got up to start transferring the remaining food to smaller containers.  No doubt Valerie would send them home with half the roast anyway.  Sam wiped down the table while Valerie and Cas got the dishwasher loaded and wiped down the counters.  He and Dean always pitched in to help clean up after they came for dinner.  It was tradition to help with chores. 

 

“I really did think you and Cas had finally gotten together, like 10 years ago.  I had no idea you two were still dancing around each other.”  Sam said as he scooped mashed potatoes into a small bowl before covering it with saran wrap.

 

“Yeah, well, I thought he deserved better than me.  He disagrees.”  Dean laughed.  Sam chuckled and took a good look at his brother.  This was the happiest he had seen him in ages.

 

“You’re really happy?”

 

Dean looked up at his brother and smiled.

 

“Hell yeah, I’m happy.  Nothing makes me happier than Cas, but this?  It makes what we already have even better.  I don’t feel alone anymore because I’m not.  And I like waking up every morning with him in my arms.  I finally feel like I’m home.”

 

Sam grinned wide and pulled Dean into a hug.

 

“I’m happy for you both.  I’ve been thinking about doing the same with Val.  Maybe we can make it a double wedding.”  He said just loud enough for his brother to hear.  Dean hugged him even tighter.

 

“We can definitely do that, man.  We can definitely do that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are always welcome. 
> 
> **Day 30: Pillow Talk**


End file.
